Paris is famous for many things, but none more tempting than its array of patisseries. Rosie Khdir discovers the icing on the capitals cake.

You’re walking down a cobbled Parisian street gazing into shop windows as you pass, you suddenly stop when you see an item you must have; beautiful colour, delicate and unique. It would look so great…on your plate!

The French are notorious culinary fiends and it’s really no wonder that they have some of the most amazing bakeries and pastry shops in the world. The concept of a tea room or salon de thé in France can be traced back to the opening of Louis Ernest Ladurée’s bakery in 1862.

During Baron Haussmann’s transformation of Paris the bakery was given a new look, courtesy of painter Jules Chéret whose work was inspired by the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He used this as a model for his work at Ladurée thus giving the shop its luxurious decor.

The treats found inside the patisserie are of equal elegance, with pastel coloured macaroons and Marie Antoinette inspired cakes that are a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Cakes and pastries aren’t all they sell; you can also buy beautiful chocolate boxes and even perfume!

The less traditional patisserie of Sadaharu Aoki, a Parisian-Japanese pastry chef, is a great way to shake things up. His green tea twist on the classic opéra pastry will leave you pleasantly surprised and this master of puff pastry dishes out one of the finest mille-feuille in Paris.

Another pastry genius whose creations must be sampled is Pierre Hermé. He makes macaroons, beautiful cookies, cakes and is famous for his chocolates. He is holding a Master Class Chocolat on 18th November which would be the perfect opportunity to sample his delights and learn his secrets.

Carl Marletti has a great range of treats, from tarts and éclairs to cakes and jams. Marletti’s creations are a sight to behold; his Le Dôme Noir and Le Dôme Blanc are so exquisite looking you won’t want to bit into them, but boy is it worth it!

There are of course loads more patisseries and boulangeries around Paris, and the oldest ones are usually the best. They are the ones in keeping with French baking traditions, who value quality over mass produced croissants and pain au chocolat.

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Image credit: pussnboots

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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Are you willing to expose yourself to strangers just to leave the country for a week or two? No, neither is John Hillman

It seems that with each passing year there are few and fewer reasons to fly. We all know about the endless hidden charges and restrictions placed on us by the airlines, paying almost £5 for a cup of instant coffee and £20 just to check in with hand luggage are two of my personal favourites; but the never ending security queues aren’t much fun either.

So to reduce the hour long queues we now hear that the authorities are introducing “naked” scanners at airports. Yes you heard me correctly, from now on in order to earn your two weeks in the sun you will be required to submit to the humiliation of having a clear black and white outline of all your wobbly bits displayed on screen for the benefit of airport security.

Having met one or two airport security officers in my life I’m not so sure that they are the kind of people you want to have staring at you and your partner in the buff, as you struggle towards the Duty Free section. I’m sure that they’re all very nice people but let’s face it hardly doctor material.

Speaking to the BBC, Sarah Barrett, head of customer experience at Manchester Airport, where the trial is taking place, says:

“This scanner completely takes away the hassle of needing to undress. The images are not erotic or pornographic and they cannot be stored or captured in any way.”

Images can actually be stored by any random person using a mobile phone camera. I know it would be a sack-able offence and all that but it’s still possible.

She also says that “the Images are not erotic or pornographic” – isn’t this beside the point? And anyway, Ms Barrett is being slightly naive about the complexities of the human mind if she thinks that there isn’t a sizeable group of people out in cyberspace who won’t find this kind of thing entertaining to say the least.

It looks like flying really has gone pretty much as low as it can now. As a confirmed fan of the driving holiday anyway I think it’s time the rest of you joined me on deck next holiday season for a cold beer, a spot of lunch and a gaze across the English Channel – holidays aren’t supposed to begin with discomfort and embarrassment; the getting there is supposed to be one of the best bits.

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Image Credit: Ivan M

Tags: Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by John Hillman
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In a small town just outside Paris lies the inspiration behind an artist’s masterpieces now known the world over. Rosie Khdir discovers Giverny, the home of Claude Monet.

Beautiful landscapes and floral scenes were the specialty of Impressionist mastermind Claude Monet and one place in particular got his paint brush moving.

Monet was born in Paris in 1840 and proceeded to travel for a great deal of his life to get new inspiration for his works. In 1883 however, he moved to the charming village of Giverny, just 80km from Paris, and settled there for the remaining 43 years of his life.

His paintings of the Japanese bridge and the many pictures of water lily covered ponds are some of his most famous pieces and were actually based on the gardens he created at his house in Giverny. You can stroll across the bridge featured in his “Le Bassin aux nymphéas” and walk through the poppy filled fields that appear in “Le Jardin aux iris, Giverny”. The lands really are as breath taking as they look in his paintings.

Monet died in 1926 and his house and garden were inherited by his son Michael Monet, but during the Second World War the property became neglected. In 1966 Michael made the Academie des Beaux-Arts his heir and eleven years later under the watchful eye of the new curator Gérald van der Kemp, the restoration began.

After ten years of repairing shattered glass, rotten beams and a collapsed staircase, re-digging the pond and removing a top layer a soil to discover the original species of flower Monet planted, the house and garden “Clos normand” was finally restored to its former glory.

Every year 500,000 visitors take a tour of the gardens or simply wander around the drooping willows and fragrant irises at their leisure. The Pink House, with its colourful exterior, is a reflection of Monet’s love for Japanese art; his kitchen walls are covered with Japanese wall blocks and his garden filled with cherry blossom.

You could even learn to become an Impressionist yourself in this quaint little village, as courses are given in Chinese painting and you can also do an impressionist art study. For more information about tours and attractions in Monet’s beautiful home town visit the official Giverny website.

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Image credit: ell brown

Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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The Mary Rose 500 appeal challenges 500 volunteers to raise £500 each to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the commissioning of Henry VIII’s flagship vessel. Part of an effort to raise £35 million to complete a new museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. John Hillman takes a look back at the story of a ship which, along with HMS Victory, remains one of the most famous warships in our seafaring nation’s long history.

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When King Henry took the throne, in 1509, England was languishing in the lower leagues of the great divisions of European power. Although it had once been a force to be reckoned with, by the time his father, Henry VII, passed away, England had lost much of its former glory

Nothing demonstrated this fact more succinctly than the feeble acquiescence that greeted the news, in 1492, that France had annexed the Duchy of Brittany, the great seat of English power on the European mainland. Of more concern to the English than their pride however, was the realisation that the entire English coast was now wide open to attack from their fearsome, powerful and hated enemy.

The commissioning of the Mary Rose, coming in the same year as the ascent to the throne of Henry VIII, symbolises the beginning of a new chapter in English history. A young ambitious King, determined to reassert English prestige, commissioned the Mary Rose, and her sister ship Peter Pomegranate, almost immediately. From this point on England’s fearsome reputation at sea would begin to develop.

In August 1512 the Mary Rose led an attack against the French Fleet, at Brest in Brittany, home to some of the world’s finest shipbuilders and of crucial strategic significance to the balance of power in the English Channel. It was the first in a long line of engagements between French and the English navies in which ships fired their canon through ports, it as a seminal step forward in naval warfare. The English returned to Portsmouth victorious.

The Mary Rose then took part in the war with Scotland that was to end with the death of the Scottish King at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Here it was used to transport troops to Newcastle.
During Henry’s second war with the French the Mary Rose continued to remain the Navy’s flagship vessel, and was still renowned for being able to out-sail all the other ships in the fleet.

The ship remained in the King’s service, thanks to numerous refits, until in 1545. At the height of yet another war against the Auld Alliance French ships sailed into the Solent to attack the English fleet and, during the ensuing battle, the Mary Rose, pride of the English Navy and symbol of England’s new found confidence under Henry VIII, keeled over amidst panic and confusion and went down with the loss of approximately 500 lives.

She remained a forgotten wreck for centuries until, in 1982, 437 years after she sank, a team of dedicated specialists finally managed to raise her and take her back to Portsmouth, where she remains, to this day, preserved for the all the nation.

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To find out more about the Mary Rose 500 appeal and how you can help visit their website and get involved

Tags: Britain, France, History, Lifestyle by John Hillman
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If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, then Amsterdam would be a girl’s favourite city. Rosie Khdir uncovers the history behind the dazzling gem trade in Holland’s capital.

A kiss on the hand maybe quite continental…and so are diamonds! Amsterdam is heaving with shops, cutting factories and specialists just waiting to put that sparkle in your eye.

Amsterdam has been at the heart of the diamond trade for over four centuries and is still flourishing today. The first diamond polisher was entered into the Amsterdam Civil Register in 1586 but it is also said that it was Jewish settlers moving to the city to flee the Spanish Inquisition, who brought the trade with them. The industry then boomed during the seventeenth century with the discovery of diamonds in the Dutch colonies of Southern Africa.

The diamond business was greatly damaged by the Nazi’s attempted elimination of the Jewish community when more than 2,000 diamond polishers were sent to concentration camps. After the war, however, the trade began to pick up again as outside merchants and buyers tapped into Amsterdam’s great resource.

Nowadays the diamond business is peaking again, with tourists flooding to the city to get their share. There are many world renowned shops in the capital as well as specialists who give demonstrations of diamond cutting and teach visitors how to assess their worth.

If you fancy purchasing a rock of your very own then visit the Amsterdam Diamond Centre where you can enjoy a tour and browse over some of the finest jewellery in the country.

For a visit with more of a history try Coster Diamonds which dates back to 1840. This museum is one of the most popular in the city and was where the famous “Koh-i-Noor” diamond was polished ready for the British Crown Jewels in 1852. At the time this was the largest recorded diamond in the world.

A trip to the Diamant Museum is also a great way to discover more about those twinkling gems. You’ll be taken back 3 billion years, thousands of kilometres below the earth’s surface to find out the origin of the diamond. You can also observe the many wonders in the collections, including the smallest brilliant diamond in the world and a diamond encrusted sword.

Whether you are looking for a special piece of jewellery or just a treat for yourself or loved one, Amsterdam, the City of Diamonds, is the place to go.

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Image credit: stephend9

Tags: History, Lifestyle, Netherlands by Rosie Khdir
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The French are renowned for their passion for cooking and fine foods and for the next week the whole country will be donning their aprons. Rosie Khdir unearths the recipe for La Semaine du Goût.

It’s a celebration, an education for the young and it’s happening over the whole of the French the nation. Tasting Week, which is commemorating its 20th anniversary this year, will begin next week in cities and towns all over France, as chefs of all calibres put their hand to the whisk.

Markets and stalls will be popping up everywhere offering cider, wine, vegetables, seafood, and sweets, to mention but a few. Every year an initiative called des repas entre voisins – meals with neighbours- is practiced whereby people set up tables in their front gardens offering passers-by a taste of their own home cooking. Each region showcases its finest produce, puts on gourmet workshops and demonstrations and reveals its finest recipes.

Writers, professional chefs, restaurateurs and farmers all come together to celebrate the art of good cooking and bring ‘real food’ to the public. 400 restaurants nationwide put on special menus for children in honour of the event and even have reduced prices for students.

As part of the event, a team of 3500 chefs are sent to schools around France to introduce young children to healthy eating. National Tasting Week has been revered for its educational value and the affect that this has on the attitudes of children towards healthy food.

For nine days the whole of France can openly celebrate its obsession with great food and it is the perfect way to experience the delights of French cuisine in a friendly neighbourly environment.

The event runs from the 10th-18th October, for more details visit the official event website.

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Image credit: Tavallai

Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Rosie Khdir
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Princesses, glass slippers and a cat in fashionable footwear- these stories were dreamt up in a land not so far far away. Rosie Khdir explores the creations of Charles Perrault and his architectural inspirations.

Remember those stories you heard as a child about a cat wearing boots, of a young princess being put in a coma, and one losing her glass slipper? They may seem like they are from another world but in actually fact they are just across the Channel!

Charles Perrault was a seventeenth century writer, most renowned for his creation of the fairytale genre. He is responsible for works such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots which were all combined in a collection entitled The Tales of Mother Goose. Paris born Perrault had visions of telling simple stories with morals and magic and used the beautiful palaces around him to inspire his work.

Château d’Ussé is a breath-taking castle just outside the city of Tours in a village called Rigny Ussé, which is just a few hours’ drive from Caen. It is said that Perrault envisioned this as the setting for his famous story, Sleeping Beauty. A great resemblance can be seen between this magnificent white stone turreted building and the famous castle in the Disney feature film Sleeping Beauty and the also one featured in Disneyland parks.

This chateau provides a delightful day out and is particularly wonderful for children as there is actually a Sleeping Beauty tour. This tour shows you scenes from the story staged in various rooms using elaborately dressed mannequins. There are also two beautiful chapels, stables and an exhibition showing “La vie de château” (life in the castle).

Perrault was also greatly inspired by Château d’Oiron, an impressive old royal residence just 4 hours’ drive from Caen. This was where he based his Puss in Boots fairytale, a story which stressed the importance of attire, the possession of countenance and a savoir faire attitude. The Marquis de Caravaz, Claude Gouffier who inhabited the palace in the mid-1550s was said to be Perrault’s model for the character “Marquis be Carabas” in the book.

The building has now been transformed into a museum of Curiosities and Wonders. The Exhibition includes 80 pieces by world famous artists that are based on the history and architecture of the building. It also has much of its original decoration including gothic columns, a renaissance gateway and a gallery of paintings depicting scenes from the Trojan wars.

France is full of beautiful castles and palaces but if you want yours with a bit of magic, then why not visit the chateaus from the land of fairytales.

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Image credit: flo21

Tags: France, History by Rosie Khdir
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The P&O Ferries official website has been voted first in eConsultancy’s travel sector usability study. Peter Moore gives them a well-deserved pat on the back.

Online shopping can be a frustrating business. Too many links, unclear offers and sequences of pages that Captain Cook would have struggled to navigate. Well, that’s unless you are visiting the official P&O Ferries website.

P&O Ferries has been voted the United Kingdom’s most usable website. The report, by eConsultancy, singled out P&O Ferries for offering a good first impression, easily navigable search, a straight-forward booking process and excellent customer service.

P&O Ferries’ booking system was given praise by customers. The report concluded that:

Different steps in the process are clearly labelled so that customers know how many steps they have to go through, going back to previous stages and making alterations is easy to do, while security policies and other key information is provided throughout.

In total, the P&O Ferries official website scored a total of 86.1%, narrowly beating its competitors Stena Line, Princess Cruises and Thomson Flights. The report ranked the Eurotunnel website as the poorest for usability, awarding it a score of just 68.2%.

The news will be warmly received by P&O Ferries who have long enjoyed a good online reputation. The homepage of their site is simple, giving customers a clear choice between different categories: routes, onboard, offers, minicruise, insurance, hotels, destinations and booking.

A single image on the site’s homepage displays the latest cross-channel offers while there is an easy-to-use form which gives fast and accurate ferry quotes for single passengers, groups and families.

P&O Ferries have been lords of the Dover Straight for 40 years, and now they can bask cheerfully in the knowledge that they hold an equally strong digital grip.

So, to get those holiday plans shipshape and to enjoy some beautiful world-wide-webbery along the way, then get yourself over to the P&O Ferries official site. There isn’t a better one in the land!

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Image credit: evelynishere

Tags: Britain, P&O Ferries by Peter Moore
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